This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the surface treatment for half bearings used for a split type sliding bearings.
In one conventional method of plating half sliding bearings, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 45-20362, these half sliding bearings are arranged into a semi-cylindrical configuration, and two such arrays of half sliding bearings are mated together to form a cylindrical arrangement, and an anode is mounted at the center of this cylindrical arrangement so as to apply plating thereto. In another method and apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,500,206 and 2,697,690, half sliding bearings are arranged into a semi-cylindrical configuration, and a box-like plating case having a slit is attached to the inner surface of this semi-cylindrical arrangement, and then plating is applied.
However, the above conventional techniques have problems when at least two different kinds of platings are to be applied. More specifically, in the former conventional technique, it is necessary to exchange the anode depending on the kind of plating, and this conventional technique is not suited for a continuous treatment by an automatic plating apparatus. In the latter conventional technique, since the box-like plating case must be transferred into two kinds of plating tank, the plating apparatus is increased in size, and another problem is that because of the transfer of the plating case, a plating solution is much brought out of the plating tank.